Water Style/ Shark Blade
The Shark Blade discipline was a style is probably the most demanding of all the blade styles. It was created to perform seemingly endless assaults on an opponent. The style not only made use of the blade but the entire body as well. This style is often criticized as reckless as the flurries of attacks can leave the user open to counterattacks. While this style doesn't require the extreme strength of the Dragon Blade or agility of the Hawk Blade, it does require both along with a good deal of stamina. Development and Strategy The Shark Blade was originally developed as the "Water Style." It was named this because of its attacks seeming endlessly flowing into another. It was labeled after the shark following the magic purge as its assaults became commonly described as frenzies. Unlike the rest of the styles, the Shark Blade was created and developed by a bloodthirsty thief, who only stole after he killed the owner, believing he earned the right to their possessions. He remained at large for seven years until he was finally taken down by two Paladins. He was eventually convinced his actions were in the wrong after some time and eventually taught his style to the Paladins. He developed the style to completely overwhelm his opponent, making use of knees, elbows, and kicks in between his vicious assaults with his blade. When criticized on the lack of defensive maneuvers, he stated that attacking so efficiently was his defense. This style, while taught to Paladins, didn't see as much use as their other styles. A group of warriors with different ideals split away from the Paladins, becoming the Templars. This style became their most common and they developed a few defensive maneuvers to work with the style's hyper-aggressive style. The strategy of the Shark Blade is to start attacking and don't stop until your opponent falls over. While this is usually stated as the strategy, users of this style would indeed take breaks when necessary to catch their breath before it became a hindrance. There were several attacks in this style that were easy to perform to allow the user to get their energy or breath back before launching into another frenzy. Shark Blade users generally take any opening they perceive, striking with blade, knee, head, or elbow as soon as they can. This style is notorious for defeating or killing inexperienced opponents within seconds, as they don't have time to process or follow all the attacks that are thrown their way and have a difficult time spotting openings. Variants The Shark Blade has all three variants, though it is typically only used by superhumans. Regular humans have difficulty employing this to its fullest potential for a variety of reasons. This style is typically used by Templars, who go up against powerful beings and seek to kill them quickly. The Templars make use of all three variants while Single Blade is more used with the rest of Divintera's population. Single Blade: '''The user's freehand is used to strike or grab the opponent quite often in this variant. The user has to be aware what the opponent is capable of or risk injury. The sword typically leads in and the Shark Blade user will get as close as possible land several unarmed attacks before finishing their opponent off with a strike from their blade while they retreat or are stunned. Some users will use a pistol in their off-hand, using it even in close range between their swings. '''Two-Handed:''' While the attacks may not be as rapid as the other variants, this variant can make use of shoulder checks to create openings or continue assaults. Leaping attacks are sometimes used to crush the opponent with their weapon, followed by furious stabbings if the opponent is knocked off their feet. '''Dual Blade: The variant this style debuted with, the user was a flurry of steel and feet, typically killing the opponent in seconds if they weren't well trained. Both blades rarely attack from the same angle and usually strike at seperate times to keep the offense flowing. If both blades swing at the same time, it is usually becauses the user thinks they can end the fight with that attack. These attacks were typically performed after landing an attack that stuns the enemy, such as a kick to the head.